Flower Bouqets
by thepropergenius
Summary: Eren has always thought floriography was silly until he meets the school's librarian, Levi, who's devoted to the language of flowers.
1. Chapter 1

Titan High was perhaps the most uneventful high school ever in existence, thus whenever something happened, it would without a doubt hit the headlines and be talked about in every single class. From Ms. Hange Zoe in the Science Department changing eyeglass frames five months ago or principal Erwin Smith arriving at school one minute later than expected that morning to Jean from homeroom 14 not wearing the same tie last week and Historia bringing an extra sausage for lunch yesterday. Anything out of the regular routine was to be noticed, passed on from one to another, and soon enough it would be as popular as a Lady Gaga album.

The hot issue this time involved not one but two people – Connie and Sasha, and to many's prediction, it would last longer than the "victims" wanted. All because they were the first couple to publicly be together in Titan High's history. Normal people wouldn't want their relationship to be discussed and speculated among a group of maybe five hundred. Yet Connie went straight to Sasha's homeroom with a bouquet of white roses and confessed his love like a brave kid he was. And Sasha, god knows since when she had been waiting for this, in less than one second after Connie asked her out, jumped right to him and screamed a yes so loud and in such passion that the witnesses thought it was more like an agreement to an offer of a life-time supply of potatoes. Whether Connie was a potato dealer in disguise and that was how he captured Sasha's heart, they were officially a couple. Their fame skyrocketed and in no time they were called the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian of Titan High.

"Oluo's late again?" Eren said as he dropped his backpack on the floor and plumped himself down next to Armin in the hall way.

Oluo Bozado was class 14′s homeroom teacher who taught history and was a weird man, occasionally biting his own tongue while giving lectures. He was also that teacher who was late in the morning on a regular basis and other teachers had to unlock the classroom for his students. Today wasn't an exception as the kids gathered in groups surrounding the room.

"Yeah. I wonder if anyone's gonna to anything about him. We've had him since freshman year and he hasn't been on time even once." Armin moved a bit to the left to make room for Eren.

"That old man. This is why students have no respect for him. But that aside, how's our Beyonce and Jay Z doing?"

"Still being the dorks they are."

"It's been two weeks, hasn't it? I can't believe Connie got her head over heels for him though." Eren said in skepticism.

"Eren, he gave her white roses. Who wouldn't fall for that?" Armin responded with dreamy eyes.

"What do you mean? It's just roses for fuck's sake."

"Someone as dry as you won't understand," Armin sighed. "I bet you don't even know what a rose in general symbolizes."

"Why do I need to know?" Stubbornly Eren snapped back.

"It's fine if you aren't interested in that stuff, Eren, but flowers can mean a lot to certain people, just saying," said Armin.

Mikasa approached Eren and Armin just in time to catch their conversation and joined them.

"Who in this world would like something as lame as the meanings of flowers?" Eren groaned.

It took merely a fraction of a second for Armin to take Mikasa's scarf and shove it in Eren's mouth. He hissed while Eren struggled to take his hand away to no avail.

"Your mouth will kill you some day I swear." Armin gritted his teeth. "If Mr. Levi heard this even Mikasa wouldn't be able to rescue you."

Eren broke free from Armin and pulled away the scarf, coughing like mad.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Eren asked in bewilderment.

"Mr. Levi, the school's librarian. Sometimes he opens the door for us, remember? He's crazy about the language of flowers. And you don't wanna pick on someone like him."

"Er… Okay…" Eren replied warily. Considering the fact that he wasn't someone who'd go to the library often like Armin, he had no clue as to who this "Mr. Levi" was, even though the name did ring a bell somewhere.

"Anyway, watch your words. There comes our man." Armin said, picking up his books. "With the keys."

Eren stood up and grabbed his bag. He scanned the ground once more to see if he forgot anything then lifted his head up to see a man walk past him. He was short and had one of the most perfect profiles with a nice, straight nose and alarmingly pale complexion. Behind the glasses were silver eyes like those of a wolf, and a cold gaze that could freeze one's blood. There was a light scent from the man, of what Eren wasn't able to tell, but it was as gentle as the soft blanket his mother would put on him on a winter night. His aura was that of an adult, responsible and caring, but his appearance insisted late teens, modest in height and petite in figure. Whoever he was, it was certain that Eren couldn't keep his eyes off him.

The man advanced toward Eren's homeroom and clacked the door open. The kids poured in, thanking him for saving them from wandering and sitting everywhere like hobos. Armin, being the good sport as usual, also said thanks as the trio passed him.

"Thanks, Mr. Levi."

Eren had never turned his head that fast. He stared at the man standing outside, who was calling homeroom 14 students in for attendance. Tugging Armin's sleeve while heading to his table, Eren muttered.

"Wait, that's Mr. Levi?"

"Yeah, we've met him before when he helped Mr. Bozado open the door and take attendance, remember?" Armin said.

"No! Literally every teacher has done that for our class since Oluo never shows up during homeroom, how am I supposed to remember all of them?" Eren kept his voice quiet, his gaze fixed on Levi. The more he observed the man, from a relatively far distance, the more attractive he became, with his tucked red blouse and black cravat.

"Well now you know at least one." Armin shrugged and put the books on his table, which was behind Eren's.

"Wait, are you for real? He actually works here? But isn't he like, twenty?" exclaimed Eren.

"Yes, he does. And even though his face is young, I'm sure he's thirty-something. He's been the school's librarian for over ten years, if I'm not mistaken." Armin said as he flipped through his notebook, finding the material he needed.

"What…" Eren flopped into his chair, amazed. How a person managed to stay that young was beyond him. But it was interesting. He wouldn't mind investigating more of that seemingly ageless beauty.

When he was certain that no one was left in the hallway, Levi entered the classroom with a list of names on his hand. He quickly moved to the podium and took a pen on Oluo's desk. Adjusting his glasses, Levi spoke in a monotonous tone.

"Alright, children. Oluo is late today so I'm doing his job as a homeroom teacher. Ackerman, Mikasa?"

"Here."

"Arlert, Armin?"

"Here."

"Bott, Marco?"

"Here."

"Kirstein, Jean?"

"Here."

"Springer, Connie?"

"He's here but with Sasha in homeroom 16," a kid answered.

"Absent, then. Reiss, Historia?"

"Here."

"Yaeger, Eren?"

Eren was deep in thoughts on Levi's inexplicable youthful look when he was called. "H-Here."

Levi shot Eren an annoyed glance because of the hesitance in his reply. Eren swallowed in fear that Levi would decapitate him because that was what his facial expression was telling. They locked eyes for a few seconds before Levi clicked his tongue, which startled the other. To Eren's heartache, Levi mumbled, "What a Columbine," and carried on.

Eren was dumbfounded. He looked at Armin, but he was busy reviewing for his Physics test, so he slowly changed his gaze to Mikasa on his left, hoping she could give him an explanation. Mikasa signaled him to get closer, and he did. She whispered in a volume that couldn't possibly be any lower.

"I heard about this from Jean – Mr. Levi frequently uses the language of flowers in conversations to prove how much he appreciates it. So whatever he said, that might be a flower's name."

Oh. Great. And Eren thought there were enough weird people in the staff. From constantly-tongue-biting Oluo to overly-excited-for-experiments Hange and probably-wearing-a-wig-with-an-excessive-amount-of-gel Erwin then shamelessly-smelling-people Mike and now dramatically-passionate-about-the-language-of-flowers librarian Levi. Not to mention the students. Sasha the potato girl. Jean the horse-face. Armin the alert. Mikasa the potential serial killer. Who said this school was uneventful? Over two years in this school and it remained impossible for Eren to digest how absurd the faculty was. And it wouldn't be possible anytime soon for sure.

* * *

**Notes:**

*Columbine represents foolishness because of the flower's resemblance to a jester's cap and bells.

The language of flowers is used a lot in here, so it can be quite confusing. I will try to do my best with the research and explain everything in the notes and/or directly in the fic if convenient. My apologies if any flower is interpreted falsely and do correct me on it! and also is there too much homo for a gen fic


	2. Chapter 2

Junior year for Eren was a real pain in the butt.

He couldn't figure out what he should take, so he signed up for all the advanced classes that his sophomore grades allowed him to, and as soon as school started, he regretted it. He bet in no time people would find his corpse buried in a pile of Psychology and History papers among scattered Physics review books and numerous uncompleted paintings for Studio Art and the cause would be a serious brain injury resulted from being hit by the heaviest Biology textbook that had ever existed. Unlike Eren, Armin was determined to major in Economics, so he got mainly math- and economics-related courses. Mikasa, with her outstanding intelligence, didn't care much and copied everything Eren put down on his course selection sheet, except for Studio Art. Eren wasn't keen on it at first, but it was nice that Mikasa studied almost the same programs with him, and lived in the same house, too. She could explain to him what he didn't understand.

In spite the heavy load of work, that wasn't the problem. With Mikasa, Eren didn't have to worry about failing (he was dying actually). The one thing he was concerned with was his college application. His goal was Survey University. Being the world's number one art institution, Survey offered scores of art courses, from traditional art, digital art, to graphic design, animation, and many more - an ideal environment for an aspiring artist like Eren. The problem was, given the school's renowned reputation, Eren wasn't confident that perfect grades would get him in. From what he'd observed about the ex-students of Titan High who attended Survey, each earned an honorable art award of some sort. Many alumnae of Survey on the internet also recommended having an art award. They remarked that for Survey, grades didn't matter immensely. Because it was an art academy, students who could prove their ability in art were more likely to be accepted than those who couldn't do the same, despite having straight A's in high school.

In short, an art award was crucial to guarantee that Eren could enter Survey University. He had a few, but they were small school prizes, which he assumed wouldn't impress Survey too much. He was aiming for something more than that. He was aiming for the Maria Annual Art Award, a huge competition for high school students in Maria city. The deadline was December 27th, and they'd announce the winners in March. Eren had three months to submit his creation and if someone deemed it a long time, it wasn't. Not when he had no clue whatsoever as to what he should do. He couldn't come up with any original ideas and it'd been bothering him to no end. Every night he'd end up swearing and punching the walls in frustration so loud that Mikasa had to immobilize him so Armin could shove a handful of sleeping pills down his throat. And then in the morning they would threaten to destroy his expensive art supplies to wake him up.

Which was exactly what they were doing right now.

"Eren, it's seven. Come on." Armin shook Eren to no avail.

"If you don't open your eyes, your beloved child would go right out of the window, Eren." Mikasa hissed in Eren's ear like in those horror movies.

"NOT MY FABER-CASTELL LIMITED EDITION WOOD CASE!" Eren popped up with the speed of light and snatched from Mikasa the baby that he spent four months worth of his part-time job salary on. Stroking it lovingly, he scowled at Armin and Mikasa. "No scratches, right?"

"Yet. If you keep being nocturnal there will be. Now get dressed. Breakfast is ready," announced Mikasa.

"Yes mom…" Eren mumbled.

"What is it, young man?"

"Nothing. Can you please leave so that I can change?"

Mikasa shot him a warning glare before turning around and walking out of the room. Eren let out a big sigh as he got off the bed. Armin handed him the uniform.

"Thanks, Armin."

"No prob." Armin perched on the armrest of Eren's study chair. "Still not over your creative block?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I'm fucking stuck like Winnie the Pooh's ass in Rabbit's house." Buttoning up his blouse, Eren grumbled. Armin threw a look full of pity at him. Eren clicked his tongue. "I'm funny."

"I didn't speak a word." Armin trailed off. "But anyway, is there anything we can do for you?"

"Hmm. I'm planning to read some art critiques. Like, what people wish to see, what people don't wish to see?"

"Oh! How about Titan High Library? Not sure if we have what you're searching for, but Mr. Levi should be able to give you something useful, like where to find them or what anthologies are reliable."

"Yeah, sure." Eren checked his clothes once more in the mirror then got his backpack on the floor. "You seem to be fond of him, Armin."

"Well, he's an excellent librarian. A bit strange, though."

Eren laughed as he and Armin headed downstairs. "'Excellent librarian'? The only thing they do is google books for people."

* * *

In a corner of the school's library, Armin quickly found an empty table near the reception for him and his friends. Mikasa couldn't stay with them since she had to prepare dinner, so she made them promise that they'd be back right when Eren got the material he needed and call her immediately if there were troubles. Sending them another goodbye, she strolled out of the building, not forgetting to take one last glance at the boys. Eren ignored her and plumped himself down on the chair opposite to Armin's.

"Alright… Where do we start, Armin?" Eren asked.

"Hang on. Let me go over this again." Armin skimmed through his little notebook, sorting out a list of novels that he intended to borrow today.

"Okay."

Eren examined his surroundings. Despite being a student at Titan High for over two years, he'd never been in the library, mainly due to extra-curriculum activities and Mikasa being angry if he was home too late. Titan was a wealthy school, that he was aware of, but this massive house consisted of two stories filled with endless books he hadn't dared imagine. Just by scanning through the shelves, Eren could tell there were more than ten million items in here. Maybe there'd be a sufficient amount books on art critiques for him and he wouldn't have to visit another library.

Finishing by crossing out some titles, Armin signaled Eren to come with him, and the two of them went to the front desk. It was a traditional one, with the transaction counter up to Eren's ribs and high-up side panels for the librarian's privacy. He could spot Levi's head bobbing as he drew nearer. Armin waved at Levi to catch his attention.

"Hi Mr. Levi!" Armin beamed.

"Hello, Armin. Got a friend with you today?" Levi greeted, turning to Eren. "Good afternoon. How are you doing?"

Eren was surprised that Levi was friendly to him, unlike the other day when his gaze could have eviscerated Eren's every organ. Maybe he doesn't remember me. Which is good. "I'm doing well, thanks. And you?"

"Mm, Chamomile."

"…I beg your pardon?" Eren blinked. "Chamomile"? As in, "Chamomile tea"? Did Levi want tea?

Not bothering to explain, Levi shifted his attention to Armin. "What can I do for you, boys?"

Armin gave Levi the paper. "I'd like to borrow some books and my friend Eren here collections of art critiques."

Levi browsed through the names as he grabbed a pen and scribbled on the same note. He then passed it back to Armin. "Here you go. Parade's End and Complete Works of Oscar Wilde will be available tonight. Drop by again tomorrow."

"Awesome, thanks!" Armin stepped aside for Eren to talk to Levi.

"Art critiques, right?" Levi leaned on the backrest and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Art critique compendia are on the second floor if you're interested. Or do you have something more specific in mind?"

"Um… Do you have anything from previous Maria Annual Art Awards?"

"Yes. We have a trilogy of Maria Annual Art Awards' critiques."

Eren thought for a moment. "Is that it?"

"As far as I'm appraised of, only comments on winning works are published. That's why there are just three volumes. If it's not enough, check in again in a few days. I'll do my best."

"That will be terrific! Thank you so much!" Despite his murderous atmosphere, Levi was much nicer than he appeared to be, and Eren was relieved. Perhaps he should stop by the library more often. Levi wasn't that bad, and the quiescence here was pleasant, too.

"You're welcome. Participating this year, kiddo?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh. Moluccella laevis."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Levi sat up straight and pointed. "Second floor, left wing, Art History aisle near the end, second shelf from the right, forth row. Got that memorized?"

"All right! Thanks a bunch, Mr. Levi!" Armin grinned at Levi and pulled Eren to the stairs.

"Have fun. Don't be loud."

Eren looked back at Levi and he was already helping out another student. Arriving at the second floor, Eren whispered as Armin led him to the Art section.

"Did he just-"

"Haha, yeah." Armin chuckled. "No one has any idea how he operates, but he can precisely pinpoint any book in this library. A computer is redundant to him."

"No, I mean the- wait, what? He can? Then when he was writing…?"

Armin showed the paper to Eren. It was crowded with squiggles. "Yeap, he located everything for me."

"Wow, that's... amazing." So not only was Levi steaming hot, he was also not human with his transcendent memory.

"I told you, he's an excellent librarian. And you were saying?"

"Oh, I was… He did the thing, didn't he? The language of flowers?" Eren frowned at Armin's nod. "Argh, Armin, what are attractive people so weird?"

Although whining jokingly, Eren was somewhat serious.

Mikasa was the most gorgeous girl, with her black eyes and silky hair and majestic mien; if someday she were to be of royal blood, no one would protest. And then at 2:00 AM she would kick the door fly open holding a knife if she heard the slightest noise from Armin's or Eren's room afraid that they had an intruder even though it was probably the sound of Armin reciting his Chemistry terms or Eren masturbating.

Armin was lovely as well. Blue eyes, blond hair, pale skin, petite figure, soft voice, shy, basically a chihuahua, and a descended-from-the-heavens angel to some. Little did they know, that "angel" stacked sleeping pills up in piles in his closet in case Eren happened to struggle with insomnia and would assist Mikasa in pouring a shitload of pills in Eren's mouth without mercy if necessary. It was a miracle that Eren hadn't died because of an overdose.

It didn't end with merely Armin and Mikasa. Jean was handsome and his good look was in proportion with his douchiness. The most charming teacher in Titan High was voted to be Hange and still Jesus couldn't save her sanity. The boys were potentially going gay for Marco and he had a shrine of Jean at home. Sasha's cuteness had blinded a lot of people to the truth that she was no doubt the human embodiment of the second deadly sin. The prettiest are truly always the most dangerous.

Then there was Levi. Levi was beautiful, so beautiful that Eren felt suffocated. His hollow eyes were the darkest, coldest hell, yet people would readily sin for it. His voice was calm and soporific, like a perpetual and lethal music note. In his palms were calluses of withering youth and death was spilling out of every place he laid his fingers on. Tragic stories of sorrow and bitterness, along with the wisdom obtained from them, were spelled out on his skin. Miles long of invisible scars. Dainty shoulders with the greatest burden. Lips of uttered but unheard messages. It was as if every broken heart, every mourning tear, and every vanishing soul were crystallized into this man. Painfully, silently and gracefully poisonous.

And out of all the fascinating wonders earth had to offer, the twenty-first century's glamorous Thanatos was fucking obsessed with the language of flowers.

* * *

**Notes:**

*Chamomile is used to induce sleep, so Levi was saying he was sleepy (this is a bit different since it seems like there's no flower that stands for sleepiness haha).

*Moluccella laevis, or Bells of Ireland, means luck. Levi was wishing Eren good luck.

somehow i feel like this is progressing too slow...


End file.
